Researchers from IIT Guwahati revealed how India's maternity benefit policies in the 1960s shifted from maternal health goals to population control strategies influenced by neo-Malthusian logic
GS1History · Society · Geography· Modern India & freedom struggle· Mains·
Why in news
Researchers from IIT Guwahati revealed how India's maternity benefit policies in the 1960s shifted from maternal health goals to population control strategies influenced by neo-Malthusian logic.
Background
The study analyzed the Maternity Benefit Act of 1961 and the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill of 1956. It found that by the mid-1960s, advocates like Shakuntala Paranjpye pushed for restrictions on benefits based on eugenic logic, though the amendment was eventually voted down.
Facts for Prelims
- Act / BillMaternity Benefit Act of 1961
- Act / BillMaternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill of 1956
- FactThe study was conducted by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati
For Mains
Q. Discuss the historical evolution of maternity benefit policies in India, analyzing the tension between maternal health welfare and population control strategies.
Dimensions to cover in your answer
- Ideological shift: Transition from maternal health welfare to neo-Malthusian population control logic in 1960s legislation
- Legislative outcome: The rejection of the 1956 amendment despite pressure for eugenic-based restrictions
- Policy trajectory: Modern shift towards reproductive health and maternal-infant health in family planning
Keywords: neo-Malthusianism · eugenic logic · maternal health · population control · legislative history
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